LONDON BOROUGH OF BARNET CORPORATE VOLUNTARY & COMMUNITY SECTOR GRANTS PROGRAMME, 2011/12 GUIDANCE FOR GRANT APPLICANTS CONTENTS Paragraph Heading Page Nos. Contents 1 1 The Corporate Grants Programme 2-3 2 Evaluation criteria 3 3 Who can apply for a grant? 4 4 Local benefit 4 5 What are the council s priorities? 4-5 6 Outcomes 5-6 7 Characteristics 6 8 Voluntary and Community Sector Compact and Good Practice Guidelines 6-7 9 How to apply for a grant 7 10 Edward Harvist Charity and former Borough Lottery Fund 8 11 Barnet Council s Safeguarding Standards 8 12 Organisations working with children under eight 8 13 Deadlines to apply and assessment cycle 9 14 What happens once a grant is approved? 9 15 Feedback 9 16 For more information 10 Appendix A: New voluntary organisations 11 Appendix B: Good Practice Guidelines for Barnet voluntary organisations 12-14 Appendix C: Barnet Safeguarding Checklist 15 Appendix D Standard Conditions of Grant Aid 16-20 - 1 -
CORPORATE VOLUNTARY & COMMUNITY SECTOR GRANTS PROGRAMME, 2011/12 GUIDANCE FOR GRANT APPLICANTS 1 The Corporate Grants Programme 1.1 Barnet Council attaches a high priority to working in partnership with local communities and voluntary groups (the Third Sector ) to meet differing patterns of need within the community; to make services easier to access and delivery more flexible; and as part of its relentless drive for efficiency. 1.2 In line with the Third Sector Commissioning Framework agreed in 2008, most of the council s financial arrangements with the sector are now based on the commissioning and procurement of services. This has replaced annual grant funding. 1.3 As in 2010/11, the corporate grants programme will focus on supporting: new services and activities with start-up grants for a maximum of one year, or specific events, purchases or other non-recurring items of expenditure through the award of one-off grants where a proposal complements one or more of the council s key corporate priorities or Barnet s Sustainable Community Strategy and aims to achieve one or more defined outcomes - see sections 5 and 6 below. 1.4 All financial arrangements will be aligned to the council s corporate priorities set out in section 5. 1.5 Where a financial arrangement will support two or more organisations working together, the services provided must support the strategic outcomes set out in the Sustainable Community Strategy referred to in section 5. 1.6 All services are expected to achieve one or more of the defined outcomes listed in section 6. Start-up grants 1.7 These are limited to a maximum of 10,000 over a period of no more than one year and may contribute towards capital or revenue costs. Applications for start-up grants should be accompanied by a funding plan from year two onwards, showing any other funding already promised and from where the applicant intends to source funding once the council s grant ends. The council will not fund a second year of service. The viability of the service over subsequent years will be one of the criteria for evaluating the application. - 2 -
1.8 Start-up grants may include running costs such as premises, staff and overheads. In the case of a new project or activity that an established organisation is seeking help to implement, these should be only those costs directly attributable to the proposal. The applicant should take care not to include costs that have been funded from other sources even where they contribute to the service covered by the start-up grant. Applicants should be able to evidence how funding is apportioned internally within their organisation. One-off grants 1.9 These are also subject to an upper limit of 10,000, but are more commonly of a lesser sum and may be subject to matching funding depending on the purpose for which help is sought and the amount required. 2 Evaluation criteria 2.1 To qualify for a start-up or a one-off grant, applicants must demonstrate how the service or activity in question contributes to delivery of one or more of the council s key corporate priorities or Barnet s Sustainable Community Strategy (see section 5) and achieves at least one of the criteria set out in section 6. 2.2 The following principles and key aims will underpin the award of all grants: to support a Third Sector in Barnet which provides opportunities for people to contribute to an improved quality of life in their communities; to allocate funding fairly and openly within the priority areas identified, with a consistent approach to quality standards and value for money; to give priority to groups which are locally-based and democratic; are well managed; and can demonstrate high quality services (if it is an existing provider of services), equal opportunities practices and effective user involvement; to encourage the development of new services and projects that respond to emerging needs in the community; to help pump-prime new sources of funding (and investment in Barnet). 2.3 All applications will be assessed on their individual merits against our policy objectives; the benefits to the local community; the effectiveness of the organisation in its service delivery; its overall value for money; its financial needs; and the total budget sum available for grants in the year. In the case of start-up grants, the apparent or likely viability of the service in the years following the council s twelve-month funding will be a critical factor. 2.4 We will not give grant aid for redistribution to other bodies. - 3 -
3 Who can apply for a grant? 3.1 To be eligible for a grant your organisation must be: a registered charity or constituted as a not-for-profit (*) organisation, such as a company limited by guarantee, with its own constitution (which defines its status), management committee, accounting systems and bank account; independent of any statutory authority, and not a religious institution as such (although an independent group which a religious institution helps set up may apply); providing (or planning to provide) a service or activities specifically for the benefit of Barnet and its residents; and non-party political (as defined in standard grant condition 2). (* a not-for profit organisation is one that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead uses them to pursue its goals: the council reserves the right to decide whether a grant applicant fits this description in the light of its wider objectives) 3.2 If you are not sure whether your organisation is eligible to apply, please call the Third Sector Commissioning Team on one of the numbers given on page 10 of these guidance notes. 4 Local benefit 4.1 Applicants whose activities cover an area wider than the London Borough of Barnet will be required to quantify the benefit to residents of the borough. 4.2 Organisations operating nationally will normally only be funded through a local branch which should apply in its own right for services delivered in Barnet. 4.3 Grants will not be given in response to general appeals. 5 What are the council s priorities? 5.1 The council has set the following key priorities in the Corporate Plan, 2010-13, which reflect the belief that the council should have minimal interference in people s lives; that the private autonomy of citizens should be respected; and that delivery of high quality public services is only possible through a partnership between Barnet citizens and the wider public sector: Better Services with Less Money the delivery of better outcomes more effectively, efficiently, equitably and economically (driven by the One Barnet programme); shifting investment from acute services to prevention; early intervention to strengthen families and ensure that children and young people are able to achieve their potential; Sharing Opportunities and Sharing Responsibilities creating the conditions for children to develop skills and acquire knowledge to lead successful adult lives; embedding a safeguarding culture; enabling residents to contribute more effectively to making Barnet and its residents - 4 -
successful; support for people to be independent and lead active lives; improving health outcomes for all; promoting mixed communities; A Successful London Suburb protecting and enhancing the environment so that the borough is clean, green and safe; is a successful, prosperous place where people want to live; and is a place where people from different communities get on together. 5.2 Further information on the Corporate Plan is available on the council s website at www.barnet.gov.uk/corpirateplan. 5.3 Grants will be targeted to help front-line activities complement these aims. 5.4 The Sustainable Community Strategy expresses the long-term vision for the area and provides a high level, overarching framework for the setting of objectives and targets by the council and its local partners. The strategic outcomes of the strategy are: A Successful London Suburb Strong, Safe Communities for Everyone Investing in Children, Young People and Their Families Healthy and Independent Living. The strategy can be found at www.barnet.gov.uk/community-strategy. Further information on the implementation of Barnet s Sustainable Community Strategy can be found in the One Barnet Partnership Plan which will be published in April 2011. 6. Outcomes 6.1 To qualify for consideration, applicants must show how a proposal aims to achieve at least one of these criteria: support people to be independent and lead active lives strengthen individuals resilience in challenging times promote health and health outcomes support people in changing behaviour (such as substance misuse or physical inactivity) promote mixed communities (ensuring residents continue to feel that Barnet is a place where people from different communities get on together) help to make sure that Barnet remains a safe and healthy place to live, work or study reduce crime reduce inequalities create the conditions for children to develop skills to develop skills and acquire knowledge to lead successful adult lives protect and enhance the natural and built environment so that the borough is clean and green - 5 -
7. Characteristics promote waste minimization ensure that town centres are vibrant places where business can thrive. 7.1 Proposals will be enhanced if they demonstrate: maximum value for money (clear outcomes; high quality, flexible and responsive services, etc) that services are designed around evidence of local need and the preferences of potential users that services complement but do not overlap with existing or planned public sector provision (see note * below) that services can be tailored to the needs of individuals ease of access that they are well interfaced with public sector services, where relevant a focus on prevention a commitment to sharing data with the public sector to facilitate insight into the needs of residents that potential service users are involved in the design / and or running of services. * Where proposals may overlap with existing or planned public sector provision, we will seek the view of the relevant partner or council department. Where the applicant believes that an existing service can be delivered in a new way that improves value for money, the applicant may be referred to the council s Big Society Innovation Fund. 8 Voluntary and Community Sector Compact and Good Practice Guidelines 8.1 A Voluntary Sector Compact for Barnet, drawn up by the council and the voluntary and community sector, lays down a commitment to improving working relationships between the local authority and voluntary and community groups, based on common aims and objectives. The latest copy of the Compact is available at www.barnet.gov.uk/voluntary-compact-apr.08. 8.2 The council places particular importance upon the quality of the voluntary and community sector services it supports in Barnet and a set of Good Practice Guidelines, drawn up in consultation with the sector, are attached at Appendix B. These cover issues such as democratic management; consultation with users; quality standards; public information; equal opportunities; health and safety; and efficient financial and management procedures. Robust safeguarding procedures are paramount. 8.3 The council sees the guidelines as both a working model helping to underpin the services of all voluntary and community organisations in Barnet, and a common benchmark for assessing grant applications. The principles are seen as relevant to all grant-aided groups, whatever their size. Whilst longerestablished groups are expected to exercise a large measure of compliance - 6 -
with the guidelines, we are more flexible in our expectations of smaller and newer groups, especially those that rely heavily on volunteer effort. Exactly how these groups decide to put the principles into practice will depend very much on the scale of their operation. This cannot, of course, apply to safeguarding; health and safety; or any legislative requirements. 8.4 Advice on compliance with any aspect of the guidelines may be obtained from CommUNITY Barnet (020 8364 8400). 9 How to apply for a grant 9.1 If you are satisfied you meet the eligibility criteria, you will need to complete the enclosed application form in full, after reading these notes. If you do not fully understand any of the questions, please telephone for clarification. 9.2 We are not able to accept incomplete applications or requests that are not properly justified. Newly formed organisations should answer as fully as they can and at least give the core information listed at Appendix A of this guidance. 9.3 Once you have completed the form, you will need to get two members of the management committee, one of whom must be the chairperson, honorary secretary or honorary treasurer, to complete and sign the undertaking at the end of the form. This confirms that the information given is accurate and that your organisation agrees to abide by the council s Standard Grant Conditions (Appendix D of this guidance). With the application we will also need: 1) a copy of your latest annual accounts or statement of accounts, which must include both an income and expenditure account and a balance sheet: accounts should already have been approved by the management committee, signed on their behalf, and audited or independently inspected as appropriate - please see our audit requirements on pages 19 and 20 of this guidance; 2) a copy of your latest annual report on the organisation s activities; and 3) a copy of your constitution, rules, trust deed or memorandum and articles of association, but only if this has not previously been submitted or has been amended. We only accept application forms and accompanying documents in electronic format. Please e-mail your submission to ken.argent@barnet.gov.uk. If you are unable to scan the signatures on the undertaking at the end of the form and on the accounts, please send us those pages only by post to the address shown overleaf. 9.4 We will acknowledge receipt of your application. - 7 -
10 Edward Harvist Charity and former Borough Lottery Fund 10.1 The council acknowledges the support of the Edward Harvist Charity, which allocates funds to Barnet each year to support local charitable purposes (in accordance with its trust deed), with emphasis towards social support and educational provision. The annual allocation to Barnet forms part of the corporate grants programme budget. Funding from the charity is identified in the notification of all grant awards. 10.2 Grants are also made from the former Borough Lottery Fund in accordance with the purposes of the former Borough Lottery Scheme, which are to support social, recreational, cultural and environmental services. 10.3 The application process described in this guidance is a single process incorporating funding from the Edward Harvist Charity and the former Borough Lottery Fund. You do not need to identify which fund you are applying for. 11 Barnet Council s Safeguarding Standards 11.1 The council has a statutory duty to ensure that adequate safeguards exist to protect from harm children, young people and vulnerable adults attending voluntary and community organisations supported by the council and has drawn up a set of safeguarding standards covering management and recruitment procedures. 11.2 All organisations supported by the council that work with any of these client groups must comply with these standards. A summary of the requirements is included in the form of a checklist at Appendix C. If you have completed a safeguarding self-assessment form, please send a copy of it with your application. If you have not, or if you are a newly-formed organisation, you are asked to send us copies of relevant documentation and/or explain on a separate sheet of paper how you meet (or intend to meet) the responsibilities summarised. We will then decide what further action, if any, is required. 11.3 For advice and information about safeguarding policies, procedures and training, please call Helen Elliott, Safeguarding Children Board Development Officer, on 020 8359 4540. CommUNITY Barnet provides a similar service to its members. 12 Organisations working with children under eight 12.1 Under the Childcare Act 2006, any activities of more than two hours duration for children under the age of eight without each child's parent or guardian being present require the registration of the staff and premises concerned. Registration enquiries should be made to the Families & Young People s Information Service on 0800 3898312. If your group is already registered, please enclose with your application a copy of the report on its latest OFSTED inspection. - 8 -
13 Deadlines to apply and assessment cycle 13.1 Applications will be assessed on a quarterly basis. Decisions will be made by a member of the Barnet Cabinet (in accordance with delegated powers for approving grants of up to 20,000). All decisions on whether to give a grant, and how much, are final. 13.2 The deadlines for 2011/12 are as follows: 1 April 2011 for a decision by 15 June 2011 1 July 2011 for a decision by 15 September 2011 1 October 2011 for a decision by 15 December 2011 1 January 2012 for a decision by 15 March 2012. These may be amended during the year at the council s discretion. 14 What happens once a grant is approved? 14.1 We will write to tell you the amount of the grant and what it has been awarded for within seven working days of the decision. 14.2 Payment of a grant may depend on compliance with special conditions attached to an approval. We may sometimes ask you for more information before we authorise payment. Funding for any purchases or works costing 500 or more will be subject to proof of expenditure. 14.3 All grant payments are credited to an organisation s bank account via the Bankers Automated Clearing Scheme, confirmation of which is sent (usually by e-mail) to the person named as correspondent on the grant application form. It is therefore important to make sure that the information concerning your bank account in section 28 of the application form is accurate. 14.4 It is a standard condition of any grant that voluntary and community groups publicly acknowledge the council s financial support by including the Barnet Council logo in the approved format in their public literature - please see Appendix D, paragraph 10. If a grant is approved, we will supply copies of the logo electronically. 15 Feedback 15.1 The response to your grant application, whether positive or negative, will be accompanied by a feedback form inviting your views on the application process. Responses will be collated and will be used to inform any subsequent year s process. A summary of responses will be published. - 9 -
16 For more information If you need more information about the corporate grants programme to Barnet voluntary and community organisations or would like to discuss a particular application or project, please contact The Third Sector Commissioning Team, London Borough of Barnet, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, New Southgate, N11 1NP. You can contact our grants officers by telephone on 020 8359 2020 Ken Argent 020 8359 2446 Jenny Dunford or by e-mail at ken.argent@barnet.gov.uk or jenny.dunford@barnet.gov.uk. - 10 -
Appendix A NEW VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS We make some allowances for smaller or newly-created voluntary and community groups which may find it difficult to meet all the expectations placed upon longerestablished organisations applying to the grants programme. It is usually better for a new organisation to aim initially for modest targets that begin to meet some of the needs it has identified, rather than to start with over-ambitious and costly plans which it may not be able to fulfil. We will need to have at the outset a clear picture of your proposals and some basic information about your group in order to assess your application properly. The essential information we will need is: * why the group is being formed * your broad aims and the nature of the needs or problems you hope to address (with evidence or examples if possible) * whether anyone else is doing similar work in Barnet and what research or canvassing you have carried out on this * what exactly you plan to do in your first year to try and meet the needs you have identified - type of activities, when, where, how, etc. * who you expect to benefit, and who is eligible to be a member * the make-up of your management committee * details of staff and volunteers and their functions * details of your bank account, authorised cheque signatories and book-keeper or treasurer * the names of two people who are independent of your group but are willing to support publicly what you plan to do. While it is essential for a new group to draw up a constitution, a draft constitution may be acceptable initially until approval is received from the Charity Commission. We would advise applicants who need help or advice about setting up a new voluntary group, applying for charity registration, financial management, internal systems, fundraising, equal opportunities or recruitment procedures to contact CommUNITY Barnet, the umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector in Barnet, at 52 Moxon Street, Barnet, EN5 5TS (tel. 020 8364 8400). - 11 -
Appendix B GOOD PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR BARNET VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS 1. Management 1.1 a proper, up-to-date constitution, reflected in current practice - setting out clear aims and objectives, definition of membership, how the organisation is managed, the responsibilities of individuals within it, terms of office, how officers are elected and removed, financial accountabilities and procedures, arrangements for holding meetings and presenting annual report and accounts to an annual general meeting; 1.2 an active and committed management committee - regular meetings, shared decision-making, each member making a positive contribution to help achieve the common objectives, opportunities for management committee members to access training; 1.3 a management committee which tries to be representative of the community it serves, is open to new members joining, and takes positive steps to involve users or people with a user's perspective, where feasible and compatible with 1.4; 1.4 an appropriate mix of knowledge and expertise in the management committee, including professional skills or access to professional advice needed for the efficient operation of the organisation (including its financial and legal probity); suitable guidance/training for management committee members on the law and best practice in the recruitment and employment of paid staff and volunteers; 1.5 reports to the management committee at least quarterly on: - the service itself (e.g. outputs/actions taken, who is using it, problems encountered and successes achieved), and - the organisation's finances (e.g. budget planning, monitoring actual expenditure/income against budget); 1.6 a commitment to regular self-evaluation in order to measure effectiveness in meeting objectives and users' needs, review priorities, identify shortcomings and possible remedies, and pinpoint unmet needs or development potential. 2. Finances 2.1 satisfactory financial control procedures, including those for book-keeping, handling cash, signing cheques, retaining and reconciling bank statements, etc., implemented or overseen by a competent person (suitable training to be provided where necessary); 2.2 an annual budget of income and expenditure, and evidence of ability to keep within it; 2.3 production of year-end accounts with balance sheet, audited or independently inspected as required by LBB standard grant conditions. 2.4 current insurance cover to meet all legal obligations (e.g. employers' liability and public liability covering staff, volunteers and management committee), adequate - 12 -
cover for motor vehicles, professional indemnity (if needed), buildings and contents cover. 3. Quality of Service 3.1 appropriate levels of knowledge and skills among staff and volunteers, and a commitment by management to offer appropriate training, support and supervision as necessary; 3.2 publicly available and distributed information about the organisation, including its aims and objectives, a summary of the services on offer, who they are for, (including any criteria for access), where and when it is available, clear basic standards of service which users can expect, and who to contact for more information; 3.3 advance notice to users of changes in either the times or availability of the service, consulting users wherever appropriate, including any temporary suspension of the service (except in an emergency); 3.4 an appropriate health and safety policy, adequately observed, covering users, staff and volunteers; 3.5 for direct public access services, a set of written guidelines to be followed by staff and volunteers governing operational procedures, relationship with users (including respect, confidentiality, security of client records and dealing with violence) and any other relevant matters; 3.6 a commitment to consult users (whether included in management or not) through meetings, questionnaires, sample surveys or other relevant means to obtain their view of the service; 3.7 a complaints procedure, openly displayed, with sequential, time-based stages of investigation; 3.8 a system for continuously monitoring the use/take-up of the service, actions taken and, where relevant/feasible, the results achieved for users, and/or a system which monitors achievement against a predetermined set of targets/work programme, in sufficient detail to give an accurate indication of the benefits produced (to feed into 1.6 and evaluations by funders). Equal Opportunities 4.1 an equal opportunities policy covering users, staff and volunteers which promotes equal access and treatment for all, whatever their age, disability, ethnic background and skin colour, faith, gender, health, language, social and economic background, or whether they are lesbian or gay; 4.2 each organisation should develop its own policy according to its individual circumstances and in accordance with the current legislation, including the new Equality Act 2010, and in a way which will help it to eliminate both direct and indirect discrimination; the policy should set out both the principles which the organisation follows and the practical steps it is taking to implement it; 4.3 a good equal opportunities policy will normally cover the following areas: - 13 -
a) equal opportunity and access to membership of the organisation by anyone meeting the membership criteria; b) equal access to services and equality in service delivery for anyone meeting the published criteria, subject to places and the necessary resources being available; c) sensitivity to the needs of users and potential users including people with disabilities or with linguistic, dietary or cultural needs differing from the majority user group; d) how the group tries to meet these needs, and what help or advice will be given to people whose needs cannot be met from within the organisation; e) the procedure for dealing with and monitoring incidents or allegations of discrimination and harassment, whether these involve management, users or staff; f) procedures which ensure equality of opportunity in the recruitment, employment and training of paid staff, volunteers and management committee, meeting all obligations under employment law and observing good employment practices such as open advertisement of vacancies and written grievance/disciplinary procedures; g) how and by whom the effectiveness of the equal opportunities policy is to be monitored and reviewed; h) a system of regular client profiling which shows the nature of the user group, for example age, disability, ethnic background, faith, gender, source of referral, location in the borough; the system should be voluntary, confidential and normally based on self-description, with information stored in statistical form only; i) the opportunities and constraints affecting physical access to the premises - e.g. disabled access, a clearly signed and welcoming environment, suitable layout, confidentiality where appropriate. - 14 -
Appendix C BARNET SAFEGUARDING CHECKLIST PROTECTING CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS FROM HARM A Safe Organisation: Ensures that its governing body, all of its employees, commissioned or contracted services and volunteers are aware of their responsibilities to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. This is done through: Safe recruitment and selection practice (including rigorous checking of applications, references and CRB checks) and training of those who recruit staff to work with children or vulnerable adults Clear expectations on staff with regard to personal conduct and promoting the well being of children and adult service users Good induction systems and ongoing training for staff and volunteers in expected standards in safeguarding, including where the primary service users are adults who are parents Clear access to guidance and procedures concerning safeguarding children and adults and awareness of local systems to refer concerns Listening to the concerns of children, their parents and vulnerable adults with an open mind and promoting a culture of safeguarding as paramount Good supervision of staff and volunteers Clear and accessible complaints and whistle blowing procedures Adherence to procedures for investigating allegations of harm by persons in positions of trust through the council s designated officer Good recording keeping including decision making about any concerns or allegations A formal and independent review process to learn from serious incidents with regard to abuse of children or adults by those in a position of trust Regular audits of the above to ensure compliance Leadership/accountability in a named senior manager and clear access to specialist advice about safeguarding children and adults - 15 -
Appendix D STANDARD CONDITIONS OF GRANT AID In these conditions, 'the organisation' means the voluntary organisation, society, association or company to which the Council has agreed to make a grant; and 'the Council' means the Barnet London Borough Council. 1. Any grant is made on the strict understanding that the organisation is a notfor-profit and non-political organisation which provides services or undertakes activities for the benefit of all or some of the inhabitants of the London Borough of Barnet. 2. The organisation shall seek neither to promote nor oppose any political party or party political cause; nor otherwise engage in party political activities; nor publish or cause or permit to be published any material which, in whole or in part, appears designed to affect public support for a political party. The organisation shall also have regard in issuing publicity to any guidance published by the Council in pursuance of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1986. 3. The organisation shall on request provide the Council with a copy of its constitution, rules, Trust Deed or Memorandum and Articles of Association; shall comply with the same in the conduct of its affairs; and shall notify the Council immediately of any change. 4. All income and property of the organisation shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objects of the organisation, and no portion of it shall be paid or distributed to members of the organisation, either during its existence or in the event of its dissolution or liquidation, except by way of sums which in the opinion of the Council are either (i) (ii) (iii) reasonable and proper remuneration to any officer, servant or member of the organisation in return for any services actually rendered to the organisation; or payment of interest at a reasonable rate on any loan made to the organisation; or reasonable and proper rent for premises let to the organisation. 5. The organisation shall, separately and independently of any other organisation, keep proper financial records in its own right, including an annual income and expenditure account and balance sheet, which shall be made freely available at all reasonable times for inspection by the Council's officers on request. Books of account shall be kept in a manner appropriate to the scale of the organisation's activities. Where annual income or expenditure exceeds 2,000, the annual accounts shall be either professionally audited or inspected by a competent independent person, and shall be accompanied by a signed statement to that effect, as may be required by the Council. Auditor's - 16 -
certificates shall be in an acceptable standard format (please see the note at the back of this document). 6. The organisation shall provide the Council's officers with such information and proof as may be required from time to time as regards (i) (ii) (iii) the use made of present and past Council grants; details and statistics of the services provided to residents of the borough and the users or beneficiaries of those services; and the expertise of the organisation and its servants to undertake and provide those services. An annual report or accounts showing how any grant of 2,000 or above has been used shall be sent to the Council not more than 12 months after the relevant grant year. 7. The organisation shall allow Council officers a right of access at all reasonable times to inspect (a) (b) (c) written records (including books of account, leases or hiring agreements, and any publicity issued by or on behalf of the organisation); any premises which the organisation uses for the conduct of its activities; and any works undertaken or items of equipment purchased with the aid of Council grant. 8. The organisation shall observe all relevant statutory requirements including those relating to employment practices and non-discrimination. The Council shall not be held liable in any way for any action, inaction or negligence on the part of the organisation, its members or officers which contravenes any statutory requirement or guidance, or results in civil action being taken in a court of law. 9. The organisation shall apply any grant only to those purposes for which it has been approved by the Council, as notified in writing, and may not use it for any other purpose except with the Council's express permission in writing. 10. The organisation shall publicly acknowledge the Council s financial support by including the Barnet Council logo in the approved format in their public literature: a) in the case of start-up or one-off grants, for a period of twelve months following the award of the grant; and b) in the case of a specific event, on all public literature pertaining to that event. - 17 -
11. The organisation shall not enter into any commitment (e.g. the appointment of staff) which may lead to a request for additional Council grant without the Council s prior written approval. 12. Any grant is given at the discretion of the Council and relates only to that financial year for which it is approved. Such approval implies no commitment on the part of the Council to give financial or other assistance in any succeeding year. The Council will not fund the second year of any project. 13. Any material change in the organisation's circumstances which significantly affects its finances, operations or grant entitlement, including any additional source of grant income not previously declared, must be notified in writing without delay to the Third Sector Commissioning Team, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London, N11 1NP. The Council reserves the right to withhold payment of an approved grant, or to demand repayment (either in whole or in part) of any grant awarded, where in its opinion such a material change has occurred and circumstances so warrant. 14. If it appears to the Council that the organisation has failed to comply with any of the conditions subject to which the grant is made, the Council may, by written notice, demand repayment of all or such part of the grant as it may think fit, and the organisation shall forthwith repay to the Council any sums so demanded. 15. The Council further reserves the following rights: (i) (ii) (iii) to withhold payment of any approved grant until such time as satisfactory proof has been provided to the Council that the relevant expenditure has been committed, or will shortly be incurred; that any necessary planning or other consent has been obtained; that any relevant statutory requirement or guidance has been complied with; and that the organisation is suitably managed, staffed, housed and equipped to undertake any function or activity for which grant is approved; to pay any approved grant by such instalments as it may deem appropriate, and to deduct from payment any sum of rent, service charge or other debt owing to the Council; and to appoint a representative to attend (in a non-voting capacity) the management committee or managing body of any organisation receiving an annual revenue grant. - 18 -
NOTE ON CONDITION 2 - Political Activities In determining whether published material appears to be designed to affect public support for a political party, the Council will have regard to the matters set out in subsection 2 of section 2 of the Local Government Act 1986 and to the Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity issued by the Department of the Environment under section 4 of that Act. Sub-section 2 reads: "In determining whether material falls within the prohibition regard shall be had to the content and style of the material, the time and other circumstances of publication and the likely effect on those to whom it is directed and, in particular, to the following matters - (a) (b) whether the material refers to a political party or to persons identified with a political party or promotes or opposes a point of view on a question of political controversy which is identifiable as the view of one political party and not of another; where the material is part of a campaign, the effect which the campaign appears to be designed to achieve." NOTE ON CONDITION 5 - Audit Requirements Our present audit requirements are: a) For organisations in receipt of a grant of 10,000 or more, or whose own constitution requires it, the accounts should have been professionally audited and be accompanied by a signed certificate in an acceptable standard format. The person carrying out the audit should be a qualified accountant who is a member of one of the following bodies: The Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA) The Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA) The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). We recommend that the auditor's certificate should be in a standard format such as that laid down by the Consultative Committee of Accounting Bodies in the following example: " I/we have audited the attached Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet in accordance with approved auditing standards and in my/our opinion the financial statements give a true and fair view of the affairs of... (organisation) as at... (date)." b) For organisations in receipt of a grant of between 2,000 and 10,000, the annual accounts should have been inspected by a competent independent person and endorsed by a signed statement to that effect. - 19 -
c) For organisations in receipt of a grant of up to 2,000, it is sufficient for the annual accounts to have been approved by the full management committee, and then signed on its behalf by the Hon. Treasurer and at least one other member of the management committee. Please note that audit certificates must contain both the printed name and address and the signature of the auditor, and must be dated. A photocopy will be acceptable. The council reserves the right to request a full audit of any grant-aided organisation s accounts whenever it considers there is just cause. G:\Grants Unit\Forms\GVOGUIDE.2011-12.doc - 20 -